There is actually no need for me to state this point but I needed to set the backdrop for this post and that is...any experienced teacher will know, in the course of conducting a lesson whether he is actively engaging his students or not...their eyes and body language are so telling.
After reading Prensky's (Part II) article, I felt somewhat 'guilty-conscious' when confronting the Digital Immigrant (DI) teacher/Digital Native (DN) student issue as the author had stated in no uncertain terms that the onus for the type and quality of education received by the DN students lies very much with the DI teachers.
Personally, for myself, the issue is even more daunting as for my secondary school education, I grew up in the era of log books and slide rules to be followed by the advent of the 286 and 386 computers (way before the Pentium series of computers) during my tertiary education days.
Much as I hate to agree with Prensky, the 'still small voice' inside me tells me that there is a need for me to learn the world's new (Digital) language in order to effectively communicate my still-valuable knowledge and wisdom pertaining to the English Language, among other things.
I need to learn how to put computer technology to use in the service of good pedagogy. In particular, I need to learn the technology to test websites, to develop a plan of action for using the Internet, with specific goals in mind and procedures on how to accomplish the tasks and how students will be evaluated for the activity.
Finally, when I am able to guide my DN students on the learning objectives and outcomes for online content and to integrate technology as my new refocussed approach to teaching, then can I proudly proclaim (to myself, of course) that my DN students were not short-changed in their learning.
Please empathise with me as my commendable ordeal has just begun...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Blog # 5 -- Digital Literacy specifically for Singapore...
The catastrophic effects of the recent earthquake in Haiti were immense and somewhat mind-boggling. Singapore sent two medical teams to aid the relief efforts and anyone interested in the latest developments and problems encountered by these teams could just log on to a particular blog for the latest updates.
This is but one manifestation of the efficiency expected of any Singaporean-led project and in this instance with much help from the NET.
This is but one manifestation of the efficiency expected of any Singaporean-led project and in this instance with much help from the NET.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Blog # 4 -- (Adaptation of) Review of Prof Lanham's latest book "The Economics of Attention"...
There was something in Dr N's (Mark's) reply or was it something to do with his body language that piqued my interest in the (mentioned) book.
During last Wednesday's (27 Jan 2010) class, I had lamented that a number of websites these days were bombarded with advertisements cleverly woven into their web pages and that the 'joy' of finding out the information required now becomes very much...a frustrating experience, having first to sieve through the 'maze' of advertisements.
Mark cleverly suggested that there was nothing new in my observation and advised that I could refer to Prof Lanham's latest book for a different perspective.
So, I did and in the process, learnt about the following:
1. That attracting Attention is the Priority. How? By using stylistic devices (in language, art, advertising, design etc). Style, is now the very substance of 'stuff' (knowledge) in the information economy.
2. The 'Winners' are not those who have the best goods to offer customers but those who can bring the 'eyeballs' of information-saturated consumers to rest on their particular stock of goods/services/information.
3. Our culture continues to be one of materialism, the type driven by the aesthetics of style.
Cheers.
Wilson
During last Wednesday's (27 Jan 2010) class, I had lamented that a number of websites these days were bombarded with advertisements cleverly woven into their web pages and that the 'joy' of finding out the information required now becomes very much...a frustrating experience, having first to sieve through the 'maze' of advertisements.
Mark cleverly suggested that there was nothing new in my observation and advised that I could refer to Prof Lanham's latest book for a different perspective.
So, I did and in the process, learnt about the following:
1. That attracting Attention is the Priority. How? By using stylistic devices (in language, art, advertising, design etc). Style, is now the very substance of 'stuff' (knowledge) in the information economy.
2. The 'Winners' are not those who have the best goods to offer customers but those who can bring the 'eyeballs' of information-saturated consumers to rest on their particular stock of goods/services/information.
3. Our culture continues to be one of materialism, the type driven by the aesthetics of style.
Cheers.
Wilson
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Blog # 3 -- Whatever the mind can dream, that, we can achieve...
Perhaps at this point in time, I wish to let Dr Towndrow know how much I enjoyed reading his book; our textbook for the Digital Literacy module. It is so easy to read, and minus all the computer jargon, I was beginning to enjoy reading it like a novel. Subconsciously, my fear of 'anything digital' was beginning to subside or to put it in another way, the 'digital divide' will have a lesser relevance for me as time goes by and I get more conversant and knowledgeable with ICT.
At one sitting I read the first 15 pages of Dr Towndrow's book, up to 'The Use of ICT' where he advocated that language learners should learn new ways of using ICTand harness its power rather than be harnessed by it (Towndrow, 2007 p.15).
Indeed the potential for using ICT for language learning is limitless, very much akin to the slogan used for advertising the Toyota brand of cars ie "Whatever the mind can dream, that, we can achieve."
The time now is 5.30 pm. Got to go now, otherwise I'll be late for the DL class.
At one sitting I read the first 15 pages of Dr Towndrow's book, up to 'The Use of ICT' where he advocated that language learners should learn new ways of using ICTand harness its power rather than be harnessed by it (Towndrow, 2007 p.15).
Indeed the potential for using ICT for language learning is limitless, very much akin to the slogan used for advertising the Toyota brand of cars ie "Whatever the mind can dream, that, we can achieve."
The time now is 5.30 pm. Got to go now, otherwise I'll be late for the DL class.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Blog # 2 -- Where is Blog # 1? Digital Literacy...the bane of my life...for the next 3 months at most...or at the very least?
January 19, 2010
Dear Blog # 2
I am now alone at home, writing this Blog, with no computer-savvy friend around me. As absurd as it may sound, I have no clue as to how I can recover Blog # 1, having forgotten the password and making no sense of the 'technical help' sent by Google to my email account.There is no other alternative but to create another Blog account as the Digital Literacy Module requirements stipulated 2 entries per week. Looks like this module will be the 'bane' of my life for the next 3 months at least...or does it have to be?In his book, 'Introducing Functional Grammar', Geoff Thompson concluded with a joke (page 251) about a man who lost his keys on one side of the road but chose to look for them on the other side (of the road) because it was lighted by a lamppost.I, too, can make a similar choice...to limit my knowledge to the relatively well-lit aspects that are already a part of me or to venture into the fuzzy terrain of this 'mysterious' module known as Digital Literacy where the search conditions may not exactly be conducive but with lots of time and effort put into the search, the potential results will definitely be much more rewarding.The latter choice is obvious to me.
Dear Blog # 2
I am now alone at home, writing this Blog, with no computer-savvy friend around me. As absurd as it may sound, I have no clue as to how I can recover Blog # 1, having forgotten the password and making no sense of the 'technical help' sent by Google to my email account.There is no other alternative but to create another Blog account as the Digital Literacy Module requirements stipulated 2 entries per week. Looks like this module will be the 'bane' of my life for the next 3 months at least...or does it have to be?In his book, 'Introducing Functional Grammar', Geoff Thompson concluded with a joke (page 251) about a man who lost his keys on one side of the road but chose to look for them on the other side (of the road) because it was lighted by a lamppost.I, too, can make a similar choice...to limit my knowledge to the relatively well-lit aspects that are already a part of me or to venture into the fuzzy terrain of this 'mysterious' module known as Digital Literacy where the search conditions may not exactly be conducive but with lots of time and effort put into the search, the potential results will definitely be much more rewarding.The latter choice is obvious to me.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Blog #1 - My first lesson on Digital Literacy on 13 Jan 2010
Lots of thoughts came to mind but I have yet to find time to put them into words.
Uppermost in my mind was the sharing by Dr Mark on his encounter with a class of foreign students in NIE where the majority of them didn't know how to use the computer mouse.
The sadistic streak in me was reassured by his sharing...that out there in the world somewhere, there are people more ignorant about the computer than me, a self-professed computer idiot... and strangely, this module, Digital Literacy didn't seem so formidable after all...or (as I had thought) reserved only for computer nerds.
Uppermost in my mind was the sharing by Dr Mark on his encounter with a class of foreign students in NIE where the majority of them didn't know how to use the computer mouse.
The sadistic streak in me was reassured by his sharing...that out there in the world somewhere, there are people more ignorant about the computer than me, a self-professed computer idiot... and strangely, this module, Digital Literacy didn't seem so formidable after all...or (as I had thought) reserved only for computer nerds.
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